Environmental Leader Awards 2017 Hall of Fame

Dear Reader,

Often, awards are simply another feather in the cap for companies that have submitted an application fee and know that since they paid their money, hey, they’ll be a “winner” or get a good score and be able to promote the attendant recognition.

Not here.

You’re about to dive into our annual Special Report covering the Environmental Leader Product & Project Awards winners (the Awards). The Awards are not just a “pay a fee, get a trophy” campaign. Quite the opposite. Our entrants needed to bring their A-game to get even a sniff of award-nirvana.

And they delivered. With a highly respected (and critical) judging panel, led by Peter Bussey, research analyst with LNS Research, the Awards set an extremely high bar for the level of product to qualify for an award, based on the products’ capability, efficiency, ease-of-use, functionality, features, and benefits. Most importantly, of course, is the impact the product can have to increased performance implications to your system.

Many of the winners enclosed are veterans who are expanding their portfolios. Others may be in your space in just the last year or two. So we encourage you to look outside the companies you know and work with and to take a peek at all the vendors in the following pages.

Equally important are the celebrated Project Awards. Nothing speaks of success more than a planned, implemented, and executed project with the yield of a highly successful result. In fact, it’s the raison d’être for our market: to accelerate the success of key sustainability and other similar initiatives. The bar was set very high for these projects as well. And again the market delivered.

So…ready, set, go! Take a look at the amazing products and projects that captured the judges’ attention this year. We hope you like what you see — our judges sure did!

Judges

Kisa Adkins Baskin

Kisa Adkins Baskin’s focus at Newell Brands is development and management of the company’s centrally driven Corporate Environmental Compliance Program. She led the development of Newell’s original program in 2012 and oversaw the successful conformance of all Newell-owned and operated manufacturing facilities.

Amy Braun

Amy Braun’s responsibilities include embedding sustainability within procurement by working with Kellogg’s supply chain for ingredients, packaging and services. She represents Kellogg in many industry groups including Field to Market, BICEP, and World Business Council for Sustainable Development, as well as working with external stakeholders and partners.

Peter Bussey

Lead Research Analyst, EHS and Sustainability Management | LNS Research

Peter Bussey is lead research analyst for environment, health and safety (EHS) and sustainability management at LNS Research, a research and advisory firm focused on helping industrial organizations achieve operational excellence goals. He analyzes industry trends and best practices, and advises EHS business leaders and technology providers in applying those insights for business value. Pete brings 30 years of experience focused on EHS management in manufacturing, consulting and information technology organizations. Before LNS, he headed EHS and sustainability go-to-market initiatives at SAP, the global enterprise software company. Pete’s prior industry experience includes EHS practitioner roles at Alcoa, and EHS consulting to Fortune 500 industrial clients while at Michael Baker Corp. and Arthur D. Little. He holds master’s degrees in environmental health sciences and public management from Harvard and Carnegie Mellon respectively, and a BA in natural sciences from Johns Hopkins.

Paul Campbell

Paul began his career with SHC in 2004 as a senior manager, home services business development. In 2007 he was named director, home appliances operations, and led the team responsible for executing the federal appliance stimulus programs. He transitioned to overseeing strategic relationships with energy industry partners including the EPA in 2011, and assumed ownership of corporate sustainability in 2012.
Prior to joining Sears Holdings, Paul worked for GE Plastics where he held roles in operations management and Six Sigma quality. He began his career in project management and maintenance reliability as part of Amoco Oil Company’s Refining Division. Paul has a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois, where he remains an active member of its Alumni Association.

Cheri Chastain

Cheri Chastain has been sustainability manager for Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. for more than 10 years. Chastain is responsible for educating employees on environmental issues and programs, maintaining and developing policies and projects related to renewable energy and energy efficiency, managing zero waste, implementing alternative fuels, and actively working on water conservation and reuse. She also works outside Sierra Nevada’s walls on policy and advocacy issues related to sustainability, representing the company in several industry working groups. Chastain is currently a member of the City of Chico’s (Calif.) Sustainability Task Force, co-chair of the Brewer’s Association Sustainability Subcommittee and a U.S. Zero Waste Business Council board member. She has a B.A. and an M.A. in environmental geography.

Hugh Cherne

Hugh Cherne is the senior manager of environmental sustainability for Best Buy. He has he has worked there since 2000 in a variety of roles focused on retail operations, sustainability integration, project management, and strategic development. Hugh currently oversees Best Buy’s 14001 Environmental Management System, the carbon reduction program and sustainable product program development.
His career passion is channeling sustainability opportunities across the supply chain that help internal and external partners to reduce costs and improve products’ value propositions.

Eric Dominguez

His primary duties include implementing energy efficiency and conservation projects across more than 50 million square feet of hotel, casino, restaurant and entertainment space as well as procuring natural gas and electricity.
He continues to lead all technical aspects of the program and is jointly responsible for strategy development, reporting directly to the CEO on the effort. With over 20 years of diverse experience in both the public and private sectors, Dominguez has focused in the areas of renewable energy, energy conservation and efficiency, and energy risk management. He holds a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Cornell University, an MBA from University of Nevada, Las Vegas and is one of few civilians to have completed the U.S. Naval Nuclear Power School. Dominguez is also a certified energy manager by the Association of Energy Engineers, a U.S. Green Building Council LEED Accredited Professional, a member of U.S. Senator Reid’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Energy and Chairman of Governor Sandoval’s Workforce Investment Board Clean Energy Sector Council.

Jody East

Jody East has a broad range of experience including military, engineering, environmental, and project management. Of his over 28 years in engineering, almost 24 years includes the management of environmental compliance and permitting. Project management has included everything from small process improvement projects up to 235,000 square- foot buildings, as well as large biofuels projects. As a large company’s chief plant engineer, he is also responsible for the corporate sustainability efforts including recycling, waste management, and energy management as well as corporate property loss prevention and risk management.
In his spare time he has served on several local boards and is currently serving as the chairman of the County Water Authority Board of Directors. His specialties include building energy systems, utilites/service/MCC design and management, IR Thermography-Certified Level II, Arc Flash/Short Circuit Analysis, environmental management/ regulations/compliance/permitting, and CAD/ CAM/CAE. Jody loves spending time with his family camping, and on good nights he’s an amateur astronomer.

Jeff W. Eisenhauer

Jeff Eisenhauer is the energy manager at Harbec, where he is responsible for Harbec’s energy consumption and the efficient operation of their microgrid, which includes an 820-kilowatt cogeneration plant, two wind turbines that total 1.1 megawatts of renewable energy, and the distribution of utilities throughout the industrial sustainability park. Jeff was the technical lead in the team responsible for the implementation of ISO5001/ Superior Energy Performance certification which to date has resulted in a 25.7% reduction in energy consumption at Harbec over the last five years.
Harbec was one of the first companies to be selected by the Department of Energy’s Northeast Pilot program, and has achieved the platinum level of certification twice. The platinum certification is the highest level of certification within the SEP program, and this also provided the documentation for Harbec to become a Carbon Neutral and Water Neutral Company. Jeff has worked in the industrial, commercial, and healthcare facility industry for 25 years, and is focused on energy efficiency, renewable energy, combined heat and power applications and system optimization.

Amath Gomis

Amath Gomis is responsible for working on external reporting initiatives such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, Bloomberg Terminal, FTSE4Good, CDP, AT&T’s Issue Brief library, and AT&T’s Annual Sustainability Update among others.
Previously Amath was a leadership fellow at the Port Authority of New York New Jersey, where he wrote the Strategic Sustainability Plan for the World Trade Center site, sustainability requirements for the site wide property manager, developed a sustainability communications plan, and managed the EPA-backed$7 million dollar Drayage Truck Replacement grant/ loan program for independent owner operators that serviced the ports of New York and New Jersey.
Amath has a master’s in city and regional planning from Cornell University, while there he interned at the White House Council for Environmental Quality, and an undergraduate degree in government and international politics from George Mason University.

Jim Goudreau

Head of Climate, Novartis |

Jim Goudreau is currently serving as the head of climate at Novartis, and is focused on global corporate strategy and policy to increase climate and energy resilience through investments in mitigation and adaptation actions. These efforts include efficiency through technology adoption and behavior change as well as business process changes focused on climate risk assessment, price of carbon, and external energy procurement strategies.
Jim joined Novartis having retired from the U.S. Navy, culminating his career in the U.S. Pentagon working on energy and climate resilience issues. While attached to the secretary of the Navy’s staff, including serving as the acting deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, he focused on a holistic application of technology, partnerships, and behavior change to improve capabilities and reduce vulnerabilities globally across the Navy and Marine Corps. Jim holds a bachelor of science degree from Norwich University, a master’s in management degree from Troy University, and has completed the Tuck Executive Program at the Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business. He was recently honored as one of the 2017 Energy Manager Today 50.

Justin Grau

Justin Grau has an extensive background in nuclear power, both in the US Navy and commercial nuclear power plants. After leaving the nuclear industry, Justin has progressed through his career in engineering in the plant utilities space and managing water treatment programs at Google, Inc. and then supporting all of the manufacturing plants at ConAgra Foods, Inc.
Justin currently works for Zee Water and Energy Management in Omaha, Nebraska as the area manager responsible for managing the boiler, cooling, process, and wastewater treatment for a number of client companies. As part of this role, the main focus is on asset preservation and utilities energy efficiency improvements while reducing chemical and water use where possible. Zee Water and Energy Management is a member company of the Vincit Group.

Kenneth Grobeck

Ken Grobeck is a senior strategic sourcing manager and energy manager who works with Oldcastle, a leading international federation of building materials manufacturing companies, supporting all levels of leadership in strategic energy planning, energy supply chain development, and energy efficiency projects.
This position allows him to live a live-action version of the television show “How It’s Made.” He provides energy market analysis and advises business leaders on corporate strategy as well as plant level measures to reduce energy spend. He and his team have fun managing approximately $500 million in energy spend throughout North America.
Ken has worked across many industries including manufacturing, engineering, health care, and information technology and is routinely tasked with organization’s largest and most complex projects as a positive team-builder and insightful business analyst. Ken is a Certified Energy Manager and a Certified Professional in supply management and holds a bachelor of science in economics from the University of Nebraska Omaha. He lives in Tampa, Florida, with his family. He believes in the power of curiosity and learning something new every day and he recently returned from a mission trip to Peru.

Paul Leavoy

Consultant |

Paul Leavoy is a writer, researcher, analyst, and former journalist with over a decade of experience covering the environment, health, and safety, sustainability, renewable energy, and organizational excellence spaces. In addition to authoring dozens of papers on sustainability, environmental management best practices, renewable energy case studies, and more, Paul has spoken at events across the Americas on the above topics. Previously, Paul worked directly for an EHS software vendor, and as a research analyst, he was also able to take a deep dive into the offerings of environmental management software vendors and end users around the globe. Paul is deeply interested in renewable energy, energy management and use, and how all aspects of organizational performance overlap in order to achieve operational excellence and sustainability.

Justin Murrill

In his role at Advanced Micro Devices, Justin oversees AMD’s environmental strategies, goals and programs, including supplier responsibility, product stewardship, renewable energy, public reporting, and employee initiatives.
Prior to his role at AMD, Justin was the director and co-owner of Culture Technologies, Inc., an organizational development associate for the US Green Building Council, and senior trainer for A Nurtured World. He has trained thousands of individuals and hundreds of institutions on organizational and personal sustainability.
Justin has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in organizational leadership and ethics from St. Edwards University. He is a published author on various topics including the voluntary carbon market, organizational change, and corporate sustainability strategies.

Denise Naguib

In 2012, Denise N. Naguib was named Marriott International vice president of sustainability and supplier diversity, integrating both important subjects in the company’s global operations. Currently, she is working on initiatives to reset the company’s global sustainability goals and develop solutions for recycling and food waste in its hotels. She is vice chair of the Global Business Travel Association’s Sustainability Committee.

John Perkins

John is a Global EHS Executive with over 20 years of strategic and practical experience across several manufacturing industries including automotive, steel fabrication, electronics, chemical, distribution, and construction. Currently he has responsibility for the Global EHS Function across Johnson Controls’ 107 manufacturing and 170 Distribution facilities. John joined Johnson Controls in 2016 through the merger of Tyco, and previously he joined Tyco in August 2004 and has worked in various EHS leadership roles across several divisions including Tyco Fire & Security; Safety Products, Electrical & Metal Products and Fire Protection Service & Installation. Most recently, John was the Sr. EHS Director for the Global Products Division of Tyco. Prior to Johnson Controls, John spent three years in EHS at Visteon Corporation and six years in EHS Consulting for various Fortune 100 companies. John holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Walsh College in Troy, Michigan. In 2017, John was elected as a Top 50 Environmental Professional by Environmental Leader 50. John is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and is an ASSE and NAEM member. John is based in Boca Raton, Florida.

Josh Prigge

At Fetzer Vineyards, Josh Prigge guides the vision and execution of game-changing regenerative measures at the world’s first Zero Waste-certified wine company. Prior to joining Fetzer Vineyards, Prigge was the sustainability coordinator at Hawai’i Pacific University, and also served as president of the Sustainability Association of Hawai’i.

Darcie Renn

Darcie Renn is the senior sustainability manager at Albertsons Companies, one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America. Ms. Renn helps establish and report on both environmental and social sustainability priorities for the company. She has a degree in resource and environmental management, as well as an MBA in sustainability management. Ms. Renn also has more than 15 years of experience working in the fields of sustainability management and supply chains with a specific focus on the food and beverage industry.

Kevin Sok

With over 17 years of extensive experience in the energy and engineering industry, Kevin’s role entails developing and executing strategies to generate energy from renewable sources, energy management, identification and deployment of clean tech innovation, and environmental data management and analytics.
His experience includes the evaluation of potential projects for self-development, acquisition or investing, overseeing engineering, construction, financial structure analysis, state and federal incentives analysis, renewable energy certificate markets, and developing off-take strategy. He heads the initiative to centralize environmental data from various sources from across multiple business units, and establishes governances and processes to capture accurate data, establish key performance indicators, correlate with
business process improvement, and for sustainability reporting.
Before joining Cox, Kevin worked at Southern Company and held various positions in engineering and marketing services. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, and an executive MBA from the J. Mack Robinson School of Business at Georgia State University in Atlanta. He is also a Certified Energy Manager (CEM), and a USGBC LEED Accredited Professional. He currently serves as the chair for the Dunwoody City Sustainability Committee and on the board at the Technology Association of GA Smart Energy.

David A. Thompson

David A. Thompson has worked for Panasonic for 33 years. Since 1995, he has led Panasonic’s Corporate Environmental Department, which is responsible for environmental compliance for facilities and products, state and federal government policy issues and developing recycling programs for Panasonic products.
David now serves concurrently as President, Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Company, LLC (MRM), a joint venture formed between Panasonic Corporation of North America, Sharp Electronics Corporation and Toshiba America Consumer Products, LLC. MRM is tasked with developing and managing electronic product recycling programs on behalf of electronic product manufacturers.
David has been involved in environmental issues since 1991, when Panasonic played a key role in establishing the Portable Rechargeable Battery Association. David took a leave of absence from Panasonic in 1994 to start up the newly formed Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation, which implements and operates national collection and recycling programs for rechargeable batteries in both the United States and Canada. A graduate of the University of Missouri, David holds an MA in Japanese studies from Washington University and an MA in international relations from the University of Tsukuba in Japan.

Rob Threlkeld

Threlkeld leads the company’s commitment to meet the electricity needs of its global operations with 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. In this role, he manages GM’s growing renewable energy portfolio and develops future projects to support GM’s sustainability strategy. Threlkeld is responsible for negotiating long-term power purchase agreements with projects underway at various facilities across the globe, including opportunities associated with battery storage, behind-the- meter applications and EV integration.
Threlkeld is a board member of the American Wind Energy Association and actively involved in the Solar Energy Industries Association, two energy groups advancing the use of these renewable forms of energy. He also serves on the advisory board of Rocky Mountain Institute’s Business Renewables Center and supports the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance, organizations designed to help utilities and renewable energy providers meet rising demand.
His certifications include certified hazardous material manager (CHMM), certified energy manager (CEM) and business energy professional (BEP).
Threlkeld began his career at General Motors in 2000 as manager of the powerhouse and wastewater treatment plant operations at GM’s Lordstown (Ohio) Assembly Complex. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in civil engineering from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Marco Ugarte

Marco Ugarte is accountable for environmental sustainability at MillerCoors. He leads the company’s strategic partnerships with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, United Nations Global Compact, The Nature Conservancy, and the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable. Ugarte holds a Ph.D. in sustainability from Arizona State University and professional certifications from APICS and ASQ.

Dennis Wolcott

Dennis Wolcott’s current duties as Parker Hannifin’s corporate global facilities manager include providing leadership and vision to the strategic planning, design, operations, and maintenance of all of Parker’s facilities globally. He champions the project management process for facility capital expenditure projects, develops facility standards or specifications for equipment, systems, or services based, and ensures that facilities are operated and maintained safely and to the highest standards. In addition, he interacts with senior company leaders to understand their operational facility needs and then incorporate those needs into the company’s strategy. He also manages Parker Hannifin’s $150 million global energy spend. These duties include reducing energy intensity and use with demand side management programs, global energy procurement, developing renewable energy projects as well as formulating and managing Parker’s green energy and carbon footprint reduction strategy.
He has previous experience as an environmental engineer managing multi-million dollar environmental projects such as remediation,
air permitting, EMS/ISO14001 implementation, managed recycling programs, lead regulatory agency negotiations, and strategic long range planning. He has 20 years’ experience in facilities, EHS and energy with Parker Hannifin. In addition, he has extensive work experience in North and South America, Asia, and the European Union.

Jennifer Woofter

Jennifer is a recognized sustainability expert, specializing in sustainability strategy and implementation. She draws upon more than 15 years in the fields of corporate social responsibility, ethical investing, and organizational accountability systems to help companies make the leap between good intentions and long-term sustainable performance.
Over her career, she has worked with more than 100 companies on corporate sustainability projects including sustainability planning, carbon footprint analysis, stakeholder engagement, training and facilitation, life cycle assessment, and sustainability reporting. She currently manages the SSC Consultant Network, an association of more than 650 professionals with expertise in virtually every area of sustainability.
Jennifer has authored a number of sustainability- related articles and reports. She speaks regularly on panels, working groups, webinars and at conferences. She is a regular contributor to publications including Environmental Leader, CSRwire, and the Toronto Sustainability Speakers Series. Jennifer has been featured in a variety of publications, including a profile article in the Washington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc. Magazine, Deliver Magazine, Sprig. com, SustainLane, Management Consultant Quarterly, and the Maryland Daily Record. In 2007, she received a citation from Maryland State for her contributions to promoting green business.